Page 5 of The Blackmail of Denise Randall

Feeling bolder than I ever have in my life, I place my hands on his waist and feel his torso tense, and his hands tighten their grip on my waist. “It’s just that your body is as hard as the slab of concrete.”

Despite the dim lighting, I can see his eyes heat and sparkle. His silence sends a thrill of satisfaction through me. I’ve gotten the upper hand in making him tense up, and I bet he’s blushing. I begin to push myself up, but his grip stops me. Instead, he pushes me further into his weight and I feel just how hard he is. I’ve never sat on a boy’s lap before, but I know what I’m feeling beneath me.

“You have no idea.” He doesn’t smile, but I hear the humor in his voice.

I want to move my body—not farther away, but rather closer and against him. A heat courses through my body, unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. My fingers flex against his tight skin, and slowly, I ease them up his body. He hisses out a breath, and I feel him jerk beneath me. Am I having this effect on him? It’s not like I’m blind. I know I’m pretty; I look just like my mother and hear what people around town say about her, but this is Keaton Sloan. He graduated with my sister, Alice, which makes him older than me and way sexier than any of the guys my age that I’m used to.

Thoughts of Alice and graduating have me pulling back.

Keaton’s voice comes out breathless. “What’s wrong?”

“Tonight is my graduation party.”

“That’s a good thing…isn’t it?”

“No. I hated it. That’s why I’m here.”

He readjusts me to where I’m sitting on his thigh, my legs hanging over his other one. His strong arms hold me like a baby, and I lean against his shoulder. “Tell me.”

I reach over and grab my drink; I need more alcohol before I’m forced to relive the hurt. Keaton patiently waits for me to finish the bottle. Finally, he takes it from me and discards it. “I didn’t want a big party. I barely have any friends and hardly anyone likes me. Mom, though, doesn’t know how to throw a party any other way. Of course she invited the entire school to the country club and made a huge deal out of it. So here I am trapped in a room full of people who despise me, all because Isabelle Jamerson told them to. All I wanted was to be with my family and a few close friends. And it would’ve been nice to have the spotlight on me within my family, for once.”

“Denise, your family practically worships you.”

The tears threaten to break through my carefully constructed facade. I force them back with a humorless laugh. “I’m the baby, yes. Do they brag about me to people and buy me whatever I want? Yes. But for their attention—personal attention—I’m always in the shadows. Alice is the long, lost perfect daughter. Trent’s the golden boy. And Landon is the one they lost. There’s too many to compete with and my siblings’ shadows stretch so far that I don’t know if I’ll ever find my way into the light.”

“They threw you that huge party.”

“Because that’s Mom’s go-to. Let’s have this huge party so everyone can acknowledge Denise. She invited people who hate me, and I don’t like. That’s not much of a good time to me. Worse, Noah proposed to Alice!”

“At the party?” Keaton holds me tighter, clearly afraid of the answer.

“No. Before my graduation ceremony. They’d gone to their spot or whatever. They didn’t want to take away from me, but he still proposed on my day. Apparently, my parents knew he was going to. I heard them ask to see the ring at the party and gushed over it. They celebrated me, but they were still distracted with her. It’s never just about me. Everyone deserves one day, don’t they?”

“Yes.”

“I know I sound like the brat everyone thinks I am.”

Keaton gently caresses my arm. “I don’t think so. I think Noah only has a short time before he has to leave again. I’m sure he would’ve waited otherwise.”

“I should be excited for Alice, but instead, I’m angry.”

“You’re hurt.”

The sincerity in his voice has me turning into him, wrapping my arms around his strong body, and taking all the strength he’ll give me. I feel his strong chest rise and fall as I drop my head forward into the crook of his neck. The smell of sweat, sawdust, and mint tickle my nose. I find myself turning my body further into him, and he allows it. I raise my body up, so I can ease my leg to the other side of him, straddling him and feeling all of him again.

He repeats the word he spoke earlier to me in a warning. “Careful.”

“Everyone deserves a night to be a little reckless. Tonight, is going to mine. Lucky you.” My lips are a breath away from his. His hard body against mine. I can’t wait to taste him and explore all of him.

“Do you even know what you’re doing?”

His words sting. I actually let my guard down and show him my vulnerability, and this is how he treats me. No worries, he just flipped my bitch switch. My voice comes out critical. “Do you?”

“I think I’m a little more experienced than you. Have you—” He hisses when I press my body further into his, feeling him right where I need him and, best of all, silencing him. What he doesn’t know, but probably suspects, is that I’ve never even sat on a boy’s lap. But I think I’ve figured it out pretty quick.

I lean back into him, my lips graze his, and then I whisper with more confidence than I possess, “You don’t act like it.”

His jaw hardens, and his eyes narrow. With a growl, his hand shoots up and grabs the back of my head and brings his lips crashing down on mine. His hot tongue slides between my lips and claims my mouth. I don’t even know what I’m doing. I’ve lost all control of my senses, my body—all I know is I want to keep feeling: him between my legs, his lips on mine, his strong arms pinning me to him—I can’t get enough. My body begins to move involuntary, and my hands run through his shaggy hair. A delicious ache begins building inside of me, causing my thighs to squeeze against him, and my hands to fist his hair. He growls into my mouth and lifts us off the floor. He pulls my dress up to my waist, pins my body against the wooden wall, and takes control, building the friction between us. I gasp and silently beg for more—or maybe not so silently. I don’t even recognize my own voice right now. I jerk my mouth from his, needing to see his face, to see if he’s feeling this too, if he’s right there with me in this. His eyes are bright and completely focused on me. The rough fabric of his jeans presses harder against my silk panties that are becoming wet. Suddenly, I feel like I’m falling. I’m crashing, and it’s the best, but it also scares me. Keaton holds me as I ride it out. I smile the first genuine smile in years and whisper his name. His lips find mine again, and he is still firmly pressed against me.

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